title: Serological investigation of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies in bats captured in the eastern Brazilian Amazon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2004 and 2005 a total of 38 cases of human rabies transmitted by the hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus were registered in the Brazilian state of Pará; 23 (60.5%) cases occurred in the northeastern region. Because of this, a serological investigation for the antibodies of rabies virus was performed in municipalities of the northeastern state of Pará, in order to assess whether the virus was circulating among different bat species.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bats were collected in 2009 with mist-nets during the rainy and dry seasons and blood samples were collected for the serological survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 307 serum samples were obtained representing 28 bat species. The number of seropositives was high (50.8%, 156/307) and was significantly higher during the rainy season (67.4%, 95/141). No significant difference in rates was found between male and female or adult and juvenile. Seropositive individuals were recorded in 24 species sampled, the most prominent being Artibeus planirostris, with 52.2% (24/46) positive individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serological proportion reported in this paper in a large numbers of individuals indicates that the rabies virus circulates quite actively in the study region, but, because of the production of antibodies, the expression of the disease in these individuals is low.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia de Manguezal, Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará - Campus de Bragança, Pará, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lanna J C
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Fernanda A G
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Uieda
authors.forename: Luzia F A
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Martorelli
authors.forename: Ana P A G
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Marcus E B
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D011818:Rabies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Antibodies; Bats; Brazilian Amazon; Rabies; Serology